


In a Hundred Years (I'll Still Love You)

by Takara_Phoenix



Series: Phoe's Nicercy-Headcanon [22]
Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Nicercy - Freeform, Rebirth, Shounen-ai, Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-04
Updated: 2015-03-05
Packaged: 2018-03-10 11:47:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 17,934
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3289253
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Takara_Phoenix/pseuds/Takara_Phoenix
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This is part of my headcanon-timeline, part of the important parts. The Nicercy-parts. So unlike other stories that focus on the sidepairings, this focuses on the development of Nico's and Percy's relationship.</p><p>--</p><p>August 2093, a few days after his one hundredth birthday, Percy Jackson dies.</p><p>Ten months later, he is reborn as Perseus Jackson 'PJ' Raser, his own great-great-grandson. Who from his last life will gravitate to him again in this one?</p><p>When PJ is fifteen, he is send on a quest to bring a son of Pluto by the name of Nico to New Rome.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Rebirth of Percy Jackson

Title: In a Hundred Years (I'll Still Love You) – This Life and Any Life Following

Fandom: Percy Jackson and the Olympians / Heroes of Olympus

Disclaimer: All rights reserved to Rick Riordan for he created the awesomeness that is Nico di Angelo. And everything else related to Percy Jackson and the Olympians / Heroes of Olympus. Aside from the Gods, they belong to the old Greeks. This fanfiction and its OCs on the other hand are entirely mine. No money is made with this, though reviews are more than welcomed.

Warnings: shounen-ai, fluff, character death and rebirth, rebirth-fic, genderbed, threesome, hetero

Main Pairing: Nico/Percy

Side Pairings: Reyn/Annabeth, Frank/Hazel/Leo, Jamie/Gwen, Tom/Cal/Eli, Sander/Donny (mentioned)

Percy Jackson Characters: Perseus Jackson (reborn as Perseus Jackson Raser), Nico di Angelo (reborn as Nicolay Iliov), Annabeth Chase (reborn as Annalene Raser), Leo Valdez (reborn as Leo Alduino), Hazel Levesque (reborn as Duncan Bishop), Frank Zhang (reborn as Frankie Yumi), Reyna Avila Ramírez-Arellano (reborn as Regina Gatti), Chuck Hedge, Festus

Own Characters of the Next Generations: Bianca Maria di Angelo, Hades Poseidon di Angelo, Theseus Paul di Angelo, James Charles di Angelo, Laura Silena di Angelo, Jackson Tyson di Angelo, Calogero di Angelo, Tomazius Grace, Samuel Elijah James Raser IV, Samuel Elijah James Raser V, Arwen Yates, Samuel Elijah James Ignatius Raser

Own Pegasi: Tsunami, Twister

Summary: Percy lived to celebrate his hundredth birthday and in the circle of his children, he takes his last breath without regrets, because he knows that Nico is waiting for him in their next lives.

A year after his death, his great-great-grandson is born and to honor the great hero, the boy with the remarkable sea-green eyes is named Perseus Jackson. Or PJ, for short. PJ lives a happy and content life until he turns fourteen and gets the quest to bring a Russian demigod son of Pluto to camp.

This one is for my most dedicated fans only, because if you haven't read at the very least "Chasing Fireflies" and "Prom Queen", this one will confuse the Hades out of you.

**In a Hundred Years (I'll Still Love You)**

_This Life and Any Life Following_

_Chapter 1: The Rebirth of Percy Jackson_

/August 2093\

Perseus di Angelo had lived to an exceptional age, especially considering he was a demigod.

When he was a child, he had always feared dying young, never getting to grow old. But he had gotten it all. The love of his life, the job of his dreams, the children and grandchildren. Even great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren – granted there were only two of the latter so far and they were still very small. The blessing of having given birth early.

But somehow it had always slipped his mind what growing old meant. He had watched so many friends and loved ones die and fade. Great names like Jason Grace were only notes in history books anymore, even his son Hercules Grace had died years ago now.

It had only been in the last two years that Percy had gotten ready to let go, because two years ago he had buried the love of his life. He saw it in the eyes of his grandchildren when they visited that they too knew that with Nico di Angelo's death, Percy too had lost the will to keep going.

They were all doing fine, they didn't need him anymore. His children were over sixty themselves by now, all grandparents themselves. Donny even a great-grandparent already.

Losing his mother had weighted hard on him. Losing Annabeth had taken its toll on him. So many more of his friends followed. He had outlived two of his own children, the thoughts of his daughters Sally Persephone and Hazel Pandora made his heart heavy for a long moment.

It had still come as a bit of a surprise to the other children of Percy when the oldest of them, Donny, had called them to alert them that Percy's time had come and that it was time to say goodbye. The children of Percy and Nico di Angelo gathered as fast as they could, in such a haste that they couldn't even bring their own children and grandchildren with them. But in a way, the family had already said their goodbyes two days ago on the big birthday party to honor Percy's hundredth birthday. Today was only the small circle of Percy's children.

The only one still a young and beautiful teenager was Bianca Maria. Still sixteen, dressed in her silvery-gray huntress-gown as she had excused herself from Lady Artemis' last hunt to bid her final goodbye to her mother. When Percy looked at her, he felt himself flashing back to the day he had first met his beloved Nico and Nico's sister Bianca. The thought made Percy smile faintly.

Donny di Angelo sat at his mother's bed, a soft smile on his lips as he held one of his mother's hands. The skin was leathery from years of being out in the sun, the face, once one that charmed many to fall for him, now wrinkled with lines that showed the life he had lived. Sea-green eyes that shone so bright all those years ago now only held a dull glow.

Thess Chase stood next to his older brother, eyes filled with sadness and yet also with pride. He was seventy-five himself and he never had thought he'd have his mother around for as long as he got. His branch of the family had moved to Italy permanently after his twin-sister had died during a quest so many years ago. He had never gotten over the loss and needed the distance. He knew that losing his mother now would make his heart even heavier, but he also knew that his own children and grandchildren would await him back home in Venice to consult him.

Jimmy and Silly Ellen were standing more in the background, eyes sad as they watched their mother. Silent tears were gathered in Silly's eyes and even though she was already seventy, she still held that grace and beauty she used to as a young girl. Her pinky was linked with Jimmy and both of them wished their husband would have been here too, but not everyone lived such a long life and fate had taken Basty from them too early. All they had left was each other.

Jack Hood had his face buried in Percy's chest, crying loudly and thoroughly. Even being sixty-six did not stop him from feeling like a little boy, because nothing had ever been able to replace his mother in his life, not his husbands, children or grandchildren. His mom was his mom and losing him was the most horrible thing Jack could picture. Percy's fingers carded slowly through Jack's silvery-gray hair, trying to sooth his child even at this stage of life.

"It's alright", whispered Percy, his voice hoarse and only a shadow of itself. "It will be alright. I'll get to see your father again. My Nick... my Ghost King..."

Those were the last words falling from his lips before his soul left his body. For a few minutes, the only sound that could be heard in the room was Jack's sobbing. Donny smiled pained.

"But... didn't you say papá chose rebirth?", asked Silly after the longest time, sounding unsure.

"He did. I... I visited him in Elysium after he died", replied her twin-brother Jimmy.

"H—How... will mamma find him then?", inquired Silly, her voice tight.

"He will", answered Donny firmly, mustering the smallest smile. "Mamma and papá always find each other, even when eighty years separated them, papá found mamma. Even through memory-loss and Tartarus they found each other. Not even rebirth will keep them apart."

"Are you sure?", whispered Thess softly, frowning a little.

"Absolutely", confirmed Bianca Maria certainly.

"I... I hope so", sniffed Jack, looking up at his older brothers.

/break\

Calogero di Angelo was exhausted and upset. But he had felt that way ever since his grandmother's funeral. It hadn't come as a surprise when Percy di Angelo had died at the age of hundred and Cal himself was a grandfather by now, but that didn't make the loss any less painful.

"How do you feel, Cally?", asked his husband Tom Grace softly.

The formerly blonde grandson of Jason Grace had rather sophisticated, gray hair already, after all he was short of sixty himself. And still Tom looked as handsome as ever to Cal and Eli.

"If you're not ready yet, we can still cancel the babysitting", offered Eli Raser concerned.

The three of them had gotten married so many years ago and were still as deeply in love as they had as teenagers. Eli and Tom sat down on either side of Cal, taking his hands to squeeze.

"That's not a good idea, Eli", declined Cal and shook his head. "I just lost my grandma. It makes me want to spend even more time with my own grandchildren."

"That's true, Annalene is growing up so fast. Last time I saw her, she could barely stand on her own and now she's already running around like a hyperactive bunny", laughed Tom delighted.

The threesome of Tom, Cal and Eli ever had only one child – the biological son of Cal and Eli. Samuel Elijah James Raser the Fifth. Family tradition of the Rasers, the name of the first born son. And just like his grandfather the Third who went by 'Sam' and his mother the Fourth who went by 'Eli', the Fifth went by 'Jamie'. Jamie was his parents' pride and joy; their only child.

Jamie had grown up to become the head of the Roman division of the Demigod Protective Service. He was well-respected and had found love in a daughter of Venus by the name of Arwen. The couple had two young children and were more than grateful to hand the little ones over to the grandparents every now and again to get some time to themselves too.

As if on cue did the doorbell ring. Eli smiled and placed a kiss on Cal's cheek before getting up and opening the door. Jamie and Arwen were on the other side of the door, together with their kids.

"Grandpa, nonno, daideó!", yelled the barely one-and-half years old girl.

Annalene was the cutest, strawberry-blonde toddler. Eli made faces to make the little girl giggle as he took her from her mother. Arwen was grateful for all the help Tom, Cal and Eli offered with the children. Granted, Arwen had been skeptical at first – a demigod daughter of Venus who had been raised in the mortal world, for her it had been a surprise to meet Jamie Raser, a son of three men. Apparently, things were different in the godly world. It had taken her some time, but her three fathers-in-law were nice and accepting of her so it came easy to her to accept them. Especially when Arwen and Jamie had gotten married. And then came their firstborn child and she had barely been twenty, completely in over her head if she was being honest.

Samuel Elijah James Ignatius Raser was her little prince – and wasn't that a mouth full, but Arwen found herself obeying her husband's family-traditions. Apparently, the Raser-family was an old Irish family with tradition. The firstborn son had been named Samuel for five generations, then the name Elijah had been added, five generations later it had become Samuel Elijah James and now that Arwen's husband was the fifth generation again, their son got another name added to the list. Who was Arwen to argue with a tradition that went back all the way to the Round Table? After all, she herself had Gaelic roots too. Apparently, the name 'Igantius' too meant something to her husband's family. Arwen was happy about it, that her husband had this large family with all those branches and traditions. After all, being a demigod meant she only had one side of the family – the other being godly. Jamie all the while had three sides of family.

Thanks to those three sides, the children had picked different names for all their grandfathers. The Irish Eli got called 'daideó'. The Italian Cal got called 'nonno'. And Tom just went by 'grandpa'.

"Hello, daideó, where's grandpa and nonno?", asked Samuel Elijah James Ignatius timidly.

Due to the length of his name, he was mostly referred to by his initials – Seji. Seji was four years old and he adored all three of his grandfathers. Arwen smiled as she ruffled the boy's hair and leaned in to kiss Eli's cheeks left and right in silent thanks before leaving. Now Eli found himself alone with Seji and Annalene, the little boy staring up at him adoringly and the little girl babbling incoherent things, talking too fast to really be understood. It wasn't that she couldn't speak, if anything she could speak too well for her age and wanted to communicate too much, thus swallowing half the words on the way out. Eli smiled and kissed her cheek.

"Hello, kids", greeted Cal with a smile of his own as Eli led the two rascals into the living room.

Cal loved his grandchildren, but sometimes he felt as though they were fate's revenge for how often Cal, Tom and Eli had dumped little Jamie with either Donny and Sander di Angelo, or Herc and Thea Grace, or Trend, Derek and Sam Raser. Grandparents were a wonderful way for parents to have some time with each other, instead of always changing diapers and cleaning messes up.

"Where's gra-gra-grandma gone to?", asked Annalene with large, curious eyes.

Annalene climbed up onto the couch to sit between Cal and Tom, staring at him and demanding an answer. Of course they had met their great-great-grandmother too, even if they may not have spend too much time with Percy. But how do you explain to a toddler what death was?

"Great-great-grandma is... with your great-great-grandpa now", whispered Cal tightly.

"Why did he leave?", asked Annalene innocently yet confused.

"Because he missed your great-great-grandpa so much", replied Tom with a small smile.

"Oh. Like when mommy is gone too long and daddy calls her phone?", asked Annalene.

"Kinda", agreed Cal, ruffling her hair. "But calling wasn't enough, so he... joined him."

"Do we see them again?", wanted Seji to know, frowning.

"Maybe one day, baby", whispered Eli, kissing the top of Seji's head.

"Okay", nodded Annalene obediently.

/May 2094\

Annalene was only a young, little girl, but she understood more than most people gave her credit for. They called her 'too clever for a legacy of Venus'. Just because she was pretty like mommy and could charmspeak candy out of her grandparents didn't mean she had to be dumb.

So she picked up on the mood-change. When only weeks after her great-great-grandma Percy had passed, her mother told them that she was pregnant, she had seen the way great-grandma Donny had looked. It was a weird mix of sad and happy and like he knew something no one else knew.

Now, nine months later, mommy had finally given the baby-sibling free. Annalene knew that babies had to stay inside of mommies' bellies to get ready, just like the food daddy made when mommy wasn't there had to stay in the microwave for a time before it was ready. But _finally_ , the baby was there. Finally Annalene wasn't the youngest anymore! Seji was great, but he kept acting like he was so-so much cleverer than her just because he was three years older. Silly big brother.

Now Annalene got to be the older sister. Now she got to be cleverer and teach the little one.

"Come here, Annalene. Let's meet your new baby-brother", whispered her daddy, lifting her up.

Jamie Raser was proud as he entered the hospital room together with the little ones. Seji right away climbed onto the chair next to his mommy's bed, staring at her concerned (for him, going to the hospital meant being sick, so he was worried for mommy). Annalene's eyes grew larger and larger as Jamie carried her toward the bed. Her mouth formed an 'o' when she saw the little pink worm in her mommy's arms. The little thing was wrapped into a blue blanket.

"It's not much", frowned Annalene disappointed.

"It's a 'he', Annalene", corrected Jamie amused. "Your little brother. Say 'hello'."

"Hello, little brother", repeated Annalene, waving a little.

Seji tilted his head and reached out to touch the baby. It really didn't look very impressive, Annalene was right with that. He doubted it would do much, or be a lot of fun to be around.

/June 2109\

Perseus Jackson Raser _hated_ his name. Like Perseus alone wouldn't be bad enough, but out of _some_ reason, his great-grandpa Donny had convinced his father to give him that silly middle-name. Now everyone at school was always like 'Woah, your parents named you after Percy Jackson, he was like the greatest hero ever!'. And he would just duck his head and swallow the reply.

Others would probably try to brag about being the great-great-grandson of _the_ Percy Jackson, but PJ – as he preferred to be called – wasn't such a sucker for fame. He didn't need a big name, he didn't need to be the center of attention. He loved his family and his friends and that was all he needed.

PJ was better than being called Perseus Jackson Raser, or even Percy. He didn't need to be the camp's big hero or anything; they had a powerful praetor and son of Mars for that.

All PJ wanted was to spend time with his parents and friends and swim. Just like his father Jamie, his nonno Cal and his great-grandma Donny, he was a legacy of Poseidon. He loved horses and the ocean and he could swim all day long and talk to fishes. That was all he needed to be content, really.

But of course he didn't get that. They lived in New Rome after all and the schools in New Rome and New Athens taught about the ancient heroes as well as the modern heroes. The heroes of the Titan War and the Giant War. It didn't help that he looked 'an awful lot' like Percy Jackson.

Sun-kissed skin, his father's sea-green eyes – a trade that had been carried down from legacy of Poseidon to legacy of Poseidon – and the messiest, black hair. He was slender and small for his age. His hair was nearly shoulder-length, because he always forgot to cut it.

"What in the world are you dreaming about again? Gods, you are such a kelp-brain, PJ!"

PJ jumped a little where he was sitting at the shore of the lake. His big, fussing sister came stomping toward him. Annalene was beautiful, with the curves on all the right places – and wasn't that an annoying thing? What teenager wanted all his friends to talk about his sister's curves? Urgh. She had the same sun-kissed skin as him because the siblings spend most their time outside and together. Her long, strawberry-blonde curls swayed behind her as she walked up to him.

"Oh, shut up, genius-gal", teased PJ and stuck his tongue out at his big sister.

Their bickering always made great-grandma Donny smile in that bittersweet way. Sometimes, PJ didn't understand Donny di Angelo. Like his great-grandmother knew something no one else did. Then again, his great-grandmother was already _really_ old, he sometimes called Annalene 'Annabeth' too, so that was probably just old-age or something.

"Why do you always, always, _always_ have your head in the clouds?", sighed Annalene.

"What?", asked PJ confused and tilted his head.

"You know that Coach Hedge came all the way from Camp Half-Blood to consult with our praetors today", huffed Annalene and elbowed her brother. "I thought you were curious too!"

"Oh. Oh, that was today!", exclaimed PJ wide-eyed and jumped up.

"Yes, kelp-brain, that was today!", snorted Annalene and rolled her eyes.

The strawberry-blonde whistled loudly. Annalene wasn't a legacy of Poseidon, but a legacy of Venus and her charmspeak was strong enough to call out to their pegasi too. PJ grinned charmingly and placed an apologetic kiss on Annalene's cheek. He knew how much his big sister hated being late to any such meetings. After all, she was the centurion of the Fifth Cohort. Within a few minutes did two beautiful and mighty pegasi land in front of them. Twister was a black stallion and PJ's companion, while Annalene's Tsunami was a gray mare.

" _Hey, bro!_ ", greeted Twister and pushed his head against PJ's.

"Hey", grinned PJ and ran his fingers through the black mane. "Bring us to the meeting?"

" _Late as always_ ", sighed Tsunami and shook her head. " _You always get milady into trouble._ "

"Annalene isn't a lady", disagreed PJ and wiggled his nose.

"Perseus Jackson, do not argue with me!", yelped Annalene with a glare. "Get going!"

"Don't call me that!", complained PJ and stuck his tongue out.

Tsunami and Twister snickered as they ascended into the air and made their way to the center of Camp Jupiter. PJ didn't feel too motivated when he saw Chuck Hedge stomping up and down the plaza. The old goat was working with the Greek Demigod Protective Services, those responsible for tracking down demigods and bringing them to camp. Even his father, Gleeson Hedge, had been responsible for bringing demigods to the safety of Camp Half-Blood already, back in the days before New Athens had been build or the DPS had taken care of those missions. PJ couldn't picture a world like that. Where had Greek demigods lived before New Athens? Such a strange thing.

"I'm too old for this shit!", grunted Chuck with a glare, running his fingers through his goatee.

"You're not that old. In like human-years you're younger than our dad", countered PJ as they landed.

"Even someone in their mid-twenties would be too old for your shit, Perseus", stated Chuck.

"Don't call me that", whined PJ and made a face.

"What are you doing here, Coach Hedge?", asked Annalene, elbowing her brother.

"You'd know that if you would have been on time, Miss Raser", chided Chuck with a frown. "Your praetor was rather disappointed at the lack of your presence."

"Which one?", asked Annalene wide-eyed.

PJ snickered a little, but found himself more interested in the matter at hand than his sister's love-drama. "Can you tell us why you're here now, or did you just come to chat?"

"You know the DPS normally takes it upon its agents to retrieve claimed demigods and bring them to their respective new homes", answered Chuck slowly.

"Duh, every little kid knows that", replied PJ and rolled his eyes.

"You're a sassy, little shit, Perseus", said Chuck and lowered a glare at PJ.

"Been called that before, coach", chimed PJ with a broad grin.

"There's a demigod that keeps... slipping away from us", sighed Chuck, exhausted from talking to the Raser-siblings. "Chiron and Lupa discussed it and we decided to go old-fashioned. Maybe he will stop running away if someone his own age will track him down. We think it may be the fear of having adults he doesn't know chasing him, probably suspecting our agents to be monsters."

"Okay. That's new", said Annalene curiously and intrigued. "And you're here because he's Roman?"

"But why is this demigod so good at getting away?", asked PJ confused.

"Because he can shadow-travel", muttered Chuck darkly. "He's a son of Pluto."

"Wow", gasped PJ wide-eyed. "There hadn't been a child of one of the Big Three in like over hundred years or something! I thought they didn't want to, uh, make any more?"

"So did we", sighed Chuck and shook his head. "With Percy Jackson, Jason Grace, Nico di Angelo and Hazel Levesque we had some of the greatest heroes of modern times, but two of those had been conceived after the oath of the brothers. With the four of them, or rather with their legacies, we thought it would... last a while. But apparently they had some secret meeting, just the three brothers. Apparently they think that their legacy had been mixed with too many others by now and if things get serious, you legacies won't be enough to stand strong against danger. They agreed that, since the last generation of their children had all turned out to be useful, the oath was outdated. Long discussions short, there's a son of Pluto out there who keeps getting away from us."

"Cool", whispered PJ in awe, earning glares from Annalene and Chuck. "What? I think it's cool. I mean, a _real_ son of Pluto, not some legacy-trice-removed. That is awesome."

"You're such a weirdo", sighed Annalene and shook her head. "Okay, so, did Regina and Duncan decide on who to send onto this quest? Or are they going themselves?"

Regina and Duncan were their praetors – a daughter of Trivia and a son of Mars. Chuck shook his head and looked at the siblings like they were a bit slow on the intake. Annalene's eyes widened.

"Oh no. Really?", gasped Annalene, gaping at the satyr.

"What?", asked PJ confused, looking from Chuck to Annalene and back. "Who is it?"

"Your sister is right, you are a kelp-brain", snorted Chuck and gave him a pointed look.

"Why? Don't always insult me", complained PJ and glared.

"It's us, kelp-brain!", exclaimed Annalene, eyes sparkling with excitement. "Us!"

"Us? Us-us?", gasped PJ and stared. "No. I mean, it's been like... a century since there was last a quest like this. And _we_ are supposed to go? W—Why? Why us?"

"You _are_ the descendants of Percy Jackson, that still weights a lot on Olympus – at least with _most_ Olympians. That aside, you are the last legacy of one of the Big Three that we have to offer at either camp, Perseus. To catch a kid of the Big Three, we figured a legacy of the Big Three would be the best choice", replied Chuck. "And what with your tendency of storming into situations sword-first without thinking, Praetor Regina thought it wise to send the brains-half of this sibling-situation along too. The third member of your quest is your own choice, her words."

"Wow", whispered PJ, totally dumbfounded. "Oh. Oh, I know who we should take!"

"No", groaned Annalene and made a pained face.

"Yes!", countered PJ with a brilliant smile. "Come on, it'll be fun! And he can be handy!"

"I don't know how a hyperactive trickster is useful", muttered Annalene.

"Ah, shut up!", huffed PJ and grabbed his sister by the arm. "Leo! Leo, Leo, Leo!"

Chuck shook his head some more as he watched the siblings run off. He knew they'd come back. After all, they had no idea who they were looking for and where they were supposed to look for him. He was glad they had agreed on sending Annalene with her brother, because on his own, Perseus Jackson would most likely travel through the whole US before thinking of asking where he was supposed to look to begin with. Perhaps Chuck was giving him too little credit now, but the boy's naivety and impulsive nature had already led to some disasters in the past.

/break\

PJ was fifteen years old and for the majority of his life, he hadn't had any friends. Well, not counting his sister because his sister was his _sister_. He was content being coddled by his mom and dad, or following his big brother Seji around like a lost puppy. Mostly it had been due to bullies that he hadn't made many friends. He had always been rather small and back as a child also a little scrawny, so other demigods and legacies had thought he didn't 'deserve' to be a descendant of Percy Jackson, the greatest modern hero. It was either the envy that led to bullies, or in other cases it was that PJ's family tree intimidated people too much to dare and try befriending him.

Great-great-grandson of legendary names like Percy Jackson, Nico di Angelo, honorary Jason Grace, Reyna Ramírez-Arellano, Annabeth Chase and Piper McLean. Great-grandson of big heroes like Chrysander Rodriguez, Hades Poseidon di Angelo and Samuel Raser the Third. Granted, things – and his bloodline – had calmed down after them. More settled. The wars had been over and the rippling waves that had made Sander, Donny and Sam rise to become heroes had evened out.

They lived in peaceful times, so PJ wondered if new children of the Big Three meant that new prophecies and dangers lurked in the darkness. Contrary to popular belief, he wasn't as much of a kelp-brain as Annalene liked to make everyone think.

Now, he may not have had friends most time, but then Festus had brought Leonardo Alduino to Camp Jupiter. The giant metal dragon that had served as head-figure of the Argo II had been collecting rust for decades now, but something had sparked it back to life. It just left Camp Jupiter about ten years ago and returned three years later with a back then young boy with dark curls, olive-skin and almond eyes. The little boy had been Italian and didn't know a lick of English, so Lupa had assigned PJ to help him around, seeing as PJ was fluent in both Italian and English. Leonardo, named after the greatest genius Italy had ever brought forth, was a son of Mercury. His elvish, mischievous features underlined that. He had been the big commotion for a few weeks, after all he had been the first demigod to be brought to camp by a giant metal-dragon.

During Elementary School, Leo had been PJ's only friend. Nowadays there were others too. Like their beautiful, if not a little cold praetor Regina (who Annalene was _totally_ semi-secretly dating – PJ had read her diary, he knew!), or their other praetor Duncan and their augur Frankie, who were a happy couple. And that was all PJ needed. Those were enough friends for him, he didn't need anything more. He had his friends and his family and he'd do anything to protect them.

"Leo, Leo, Leo!", screamed PJ at the top of his lunges as he burst into Bunker 9.2.

Leo may not have been a son of Vulcan, but he was an artist, very much like his namesake. He enjoyed designing fascinating – and mostly dangerous – constructions to help him and his half-siblings with pranks. The elvish boy crawled out from beneath one of his inventions. PJ smiled brightly when he saw Leo. Leo was the most adorable thing PJ had ever seen, with his large eyes and elvish features and wild, dark and messy curls. He often reminded PJ of a puppy, a cockerspaniel more precisely, just like now as he cocked his head curiously.

"Si?", grunted Leo and blinked.

"Quest. You, me, Annie", stated PJ excitedly.

"Really?", asked Leo surprised. "What... quest? Where to?"

PJ blinked in slow-motion. Annalene smirked amused as she saw the wheels turn behind those sea-green eyes. Patting him on the back, she gave him one of her patented looks. He grinned sheepishly.

"I'll go and get the details from Regina and Chuck", offered Annalene amused.

"Oh. Okay. Thanks, sis", grinned PJ delighted. "What do we do while she's gone?"

"I have to get Festus ready then. We're so taking him. And you make lunch", offered Leo.

"Why do I always end up taking care of food?", pouted PJ as he was being pushed out of the bunker. "I mean, okay, you always blow up the kitchen and Annie can give you food poisoning..."

"And there you have your answer", laughed Leo amused.

/break\

"What are you getting so excited about, Perseus?", asked Jamie concerned.

He pushed his glasses up as he watched his son work in the kitchen. Jamie Raser still remembered rather vividly how his great-grandmother Percy had passed away and in the following weeks, when his wife Arwen had fallen pregnant, he remembered the look on his grandmother's face. Jamie didn't have the legacy of Hades like his grandma, but Donny's eyes had sparkled in that special way. When Donny had _insisted_ that the sea-green eyed baby boy should bear the name Perseus Jackson, Jamie knew what was going on. It had worried Jamie a little, because he knew that often, rebirths tended to lead similar lives, show similar character trades. It worried him that his youngest may have to live through the hardships he had read about in the history books.

"Quest", replied PJ slowly, finishing up some sandwiches with hard cheese and bacon.

"More details?", requested Jamie, half-amused as he continued observing.

"Me, my idiot brother and _Leo_ of all people are supposed to track down a demigod."

"Annalene, you know you're not supposed to call your brother an idiot", chided Jamie.

Annalene entered the kitchen and offered her dad the large, innocent eyes that always worked because she was daddy's princess. PJ huffed as he wrapped the last sandwich. Annalene looked rather serious as she left to pack her and her brother's stuff. She knew he tended to forget things.

"Oh. That's... good for you", nodded Jamie concerned, shifting some. "Will you be alright?"

"Sure. It'll be fun", grinned PJ brightly, not minding that it was potentially dangerous.

"I'm glad you're taking Annalene with you", said Jamie beneath his breath.

"We all are, dad", chimed Annalene with a bright smile.


	2. The Rebirth of Nico di Angelo

_Chapter 2: The Rebirth of Nico di Angelo_

"Okay, so where do we go?", asked Leo, putting his flying goggles on. "What's the details?"

"We're looking for Nicolay Iliov, son of Pluto, born on the sixth December 2092 in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Mother Marya Iliova died when he was ten. Two years later, his powers manifested and got the attention of the European DPS. When Heldenheim failed, they contacted New Rome and New Athens for support after a few years. Seeing as the boy is now sixteen, he's attracting more and more monsters these days, so they're sending out a quest", replied Annalene. "Last seen near Rome. Maybe he's trying to find his demigodly roots? Best we go there and ask around. Nymphs are always hot for gossip, I'm sure a child of death catches their attention."

"Off to Italy. Ah, home-advance", announced Leo with a broad grin.

He was straddling Festus' neck, ready to program the coordinates that Annalene was about to give him. Their supplies and snacks were placed in the hidden trunk of the metal drank. Annalene and PJ mounted their respective pegasus, both checking their weapons. Annalene's was a sword of Celestial bronze and Imperial gold called Polemikh Kaphdia – the Heart of War. Its mist-form was a storm-lighter which did come in handy at times of quests. It used to belong to Sam Raser the Third and since it had always belonged to children and legacies of either Aphrodite or Ares, her parents saw it fit that the Heart of War would go to Annalene, the legacy of Venus. PJ ran his thumb over the skull-ring mist-form of his own sword – Skotelnos Thalassa, the Dark Sea. PJ liked the history of the sword. While the Heart of War had always belonged to star-crossed lovers and tragedies, the Dark Sea had specifically been forged by Hades himself, a sword of Stygian iron but with a handle so non-children of Hades could wield it too. A wedding present for Percy Jackson the day he became Percy di Angelo. But Percy Jackson rarely found the need for a weapon again after marriage and even then, Riptide was his well-trusted sword (now in the possession of Seji). So Percy had given it to his oldest son, Donny di Angelo. PJ liked to think that it was good fortune for lovers. His father Jamie had owned the sword before him and had used it to slay the Hydra on the day he met Arwen, saving her like a knight in shining armor and conquering her heart.

Festus chirped in agreement, looking at Leo questioningly. Leo just grinned broader and nodded, signaling his metal-friend that it was time to leave. Twister and Tsunami whined as both winged horses followed their metal-dragon navigational system. PJ was eager and antsy.

/break\

PJ was not eager and antsy anymore. A week into their quest and he was bored out of his mind. He knew why he preferred to leave the heroing up to their praetors and other such kids. Not just because of the fighting – PJ was a decent fighter, maybe a catastrophe with a bow, but really a natural with his sword – but because of the _wait_. The finding-out-what-to-do-where aspect.

"Please tell me you got _anything_ ", moaned PJ as he laid sprawled out on the ground.

They had a camp-side in... some corner of Italy. Honestly. PJ had lost track of where they were ever since they were away from the water. Flying over the ocean had been fun, because it was as though the sea had mapped itself out beneath him, telling him their exact coordinates. But he wasn't doing so well on the land. All he could do was follow Annalene's instructions and Leo's lead.

"Yes. A dryad said she heard from a ventus who saw someone shady who felt like death in Venice."

"Wait. We have a lead?", asked PJ wide-eyed and sat up. "Really now?"

"Apparently", nodded Annalene with a frown. "Now, we need a plan-"

"We're pretty close to Venice", pointed Leo out as he too sat up.

"Great. Let's go and find him then!", yelped PJ eagerly and jumped up.

"No. No, no, no. It's like the middle of the night and we have our camp-side here and we don't have a plan-", started Annalene displeased. "-and you're not listening to me at all, are you?"

"Well, it's best if we split up, right? That way we can cover more ground!", declared PJ.

"Oh yeah, let's split up. Because they always do that in horror movies and _no one_ ever gets killed in those!", countered Leo with a glare as he helped PJ packing their camp again.

"Don't be such a wuss, Alduino", chided PJ and rolled his eyes. "It's an adventure!"

"I'd rather be home and watch Duncan and Frankie be cute", muttered Leo beneath his breath.

"No idea what about them is supposed to be cute", snorted PJ and cocked one eyebrow. "I mean, Duncan is kinda hot with all his chocolate-god appearance and the strength and all. But he can easily kick your butt, man. _Especially_ when he hears you call his girlfriend cute."

"Not that Frankie wouldn't put an arrow through the head of any guy who'd think he could try something with her. That daughter of Apollo is _fierce_ ", added Annalene. "Oh, don't change the topic, boys! We're _not_ storming into Venice without a plan – get off that pegasus, Perseus Jackson!"

PJ just grinned at her in that apologetic way Annalene knew, the one that came right before PJ and Leo would pull come possibly dangerous prank. He leaned down and whispered into Twister's ear.

" _Sure I can bring us there, bro!_ ", exclaimed the black pegasus and flapped his wings.

Annalene cursed beneath her breath as her brother once again stormed sword-first in without a plan.

/break\

Nicolay Iliov had no one. He was used to having no one. For too many years, it had only been him.

His mother had died after long sickness when he was ten and he went into foster-care. After being bounced around foster parents and Russian social service for a while, his powers started manifesting. He had always been able to 'hear voices'. He could see ghosts, talk to the dead. But when he turned twelve, things got more extreme. He could raise and control the dead, travel through shadows. Something he had first noticed when trying to hide from an abusive foster mother, who only kept the kids around for money. He had tried to hide in a dark corner in the closet, closed his eyes tightly and wished to be somewhere else. At first he had thought he could simply travel by will, which had caused him to be stuck in New York for a couple of weeks before noticing that he needed darkness to travel. This brightened his days some. No more foster homes. Whenever authorities tried to approach the homeless boy, he'd use the shadows for a fast escape and relocate.

He had already lived in so many places, so many more than others would see in their whole lives.

That was all he had in his life. Traveling, solitude and faint memories of his mother.

He didn't allow himself to get attached to people, didn't let anyone close. At first, he had tried. In the foster homes, but then they'd be separated again and Nicolay was left missing them. Later on, it became harder too. On the run on the streets. Whenever he'd have to leave again, he'd leave the country, knowing he'd never see the kids again that he had befriended on the streets. Seeing as he relocated to another country, he was mostly unfamiliar with the language so it was hard to make connections to begin with. And these days, it was dangerous. Even though his language-skills had improved and his English was fluent by now so he could communicate with the majority of people he encountered, there was something else stopping him. Monsters were real. And they seemed to want to eat him. So when he wasn't running from the social services, he was running from monsters.

At any rate, he was running. Always running and always alone. That was his life.

Now, he was a sixteen years old boy. He had certain urges and desires and his total lack of a social circle and human contact made those cravings only worse. These days, he mostly found himself something nice to warm his bed for the duration of his stay somewhere. Mostly pretty boys that were easily charmed by his foreign accent and bad boy attitude. Those kind of boys who liked to piss off their parents by bringing home a punk like him. It was a good way of staying in an actual house for at least a couple nights and an even better relief for other urges. He'd have his way with the pretty boys and leave when either the danger was too immediate or he lost interest in the current fling. He knew this wasn't exactly the most desirable life-style, but for the last year or so, it had worked out well for him. Because he _really_ enjoyed sex and he liked bending a cute boy to his will, only with the power of his charms. He liked the control he could have over them.

Casually walking through the streets of Venice, he looked around. He had only arrived two nights ago in Venice and spend the first two nights in some fancy villa. Breaking in somewhere was easy with his shadow-traveling. He had also gotten good at seeing if a house stood empty due to a family vacation or something along those lines. Sadly, the family had returned early, so he already found himself out on the streets again. Too bad, he liked the Italian countryside. So he was looking for something else. Some other place, to stay at least a couple days longer.

That was when something caught his eye. Not a place to live, or a fast dinner to grab and run. A pretty boy, looking completely lost. He wasn't particularly tall, but rather lithe. Seemingly muscular, but not overly so, more on the athletic side. He was wearing a red hoodie and black skinny-jeans that showed off that the boy had nice, long legs and a heart-shaped, firm-looking butt. Black, messy hair peeked out from beneath the hood, a cute button-nose and the most captivating eyes Nicolay had ever seen. Like a clash of green and blue, but due to the complimentary red of his clothes, those eyes looked even brighter. Pink, bow-shaped lips tempted Nicolay. They looked kissable and they would look even better wrapped around his hard cock while Nicolay would fuck the boy's throat. All in all, this pretty boy was probably the prettiest he had ever encountered.

"Ty takoi krasivij, dorogoij", said Nicolay with a charming smile as he approached the boy. [trans: _You're beautiful, darling_ ]

"Posso aiutarti?", asked the boy, looking a little surprised. [trans: _Can I help you?_ ]

"Scusi", started Nicolay, looking sheepish at that. "Sto c—cercando... eh..." [trans: _Excuse me. I'm looking for..._ ]

Okay, so Italian wasn't his strong suit. He knew that before, but when the pretty boy started laughing at him, he felt mildly humiliated. Then again, the boy's laugh was such a bright, beautiful sound that it warmed his heart and made up for the humiliating feeling.

"Do you speak English?", asked the boy amused. "Maybe I can help you."

"Yes. English is good", confirmed Nicolay relieved. "Are you a... native? From around here?"

"No, I'm actually a tourist myself", admitted the beautiful stranger sheepishly.

"Well, maybe we can... fight our way through this maze together then", offered Nicolay, returning the cute smile on the boy's lips. "I'm Colya, it's a pleasure to meet you. What's your name?"

"PJ", replied the other, shaking his hand.

"No", grunted Nicolay and raised one eyebrow. "That's not a name. That's two letters."

"Arguably, all names are just a bunch of letters", huffed PJ and rolled his impressive eyes.

"Point taken", agreed Nicolay, amused by the sassy teen. "So you won't tell me your name?"

"PJ is short for my first and middle-name. Perseus Jackson", muttered PJ embarrassed.

"Per-se-us? What a strange name", laughed Nicolay delighted. "Per-se. Percy. Ah. That sounds better. Better than Perseus or that horrifying two-letter-thing you have going on, da?"

"Percy?", repeated PJ and made a face. "No! No one is allowed to call me that! And besides, you're one to make fun of my name! What kind of name is Cola anyway?"

"Colya. And it is short for Nicolay. A strong, powerful name", huffed Nicolay offended.

"In what world is 'Colya' short for 'Nicolay'?", snorted PJ ridiculed.

"In Russia, if you must know", grunted Nicolay with the slightest pout. "It's better than PJ."

"Oh, now he's being a pouty child!", teased PJ with a grin. "Don't be a baby, Nico."

"W—What did you just call me?", gaped Nicolay wide-eyed.

"Nico. You know, the sensible and logical nickname for 'Nicolay'. Not some weird-ass rearrangement of the letters!", huffed PJ and stuck his tongue out.

"No", protested Nicolay with a glare. "No one ever called me that before and no one will."

"Well, too bad for you, Nico. Because _I_ will", chimed PJ with a bright grin, before he froze. "Wait. Your name is Nicolay and you're Russian? Are you Nicolay Iliov?"

Now it was Nico's turn to freeze. "How do you know my name, Percy? Who are you?"

"No! No, don't run!", exclaimed PJ hastily and grabbed Nico by his upper arms. "Please. Listen."

Nico wanted to shake the other boy off, but PJ was clingy like a baby monkey. "Why should I?"

"Because I want to help", replied PJ, his sea-green eyes large and pleading. "Please."

Years of being on the run had schooled Nico to distrust everyone. But something in Percy's eyes seemed so familiar and warm and felt like home. A feeling he hadn't felt in too many years.

"I'll listen to you, but know that I can be gone way before you can pull any stunts."

"Okay", nodded Percy, smiling brightly at the small victory. "Then how about we do this at a semi-public place? So you can be sure I don't do something silly and I can be sure you don't run?"

Nico frowned and scanned their surroundings. "The café. I'm hungry anyway."

"Yes! I want gelato!", exclaimed Percy, looking excited.

He grabbed Nico's hand like it was the most natural thing to do and pulled the other boy along. Who would have thought that this quest would solve itself? Granted, PJ had felt a flutter of his heart when the stranger had made him that compliment – he didn't need to know Russian to know that it had been a compliment, because there was just that quirk of the mouth, that spark in the eyes that always accompanied such an action. A handsome guy flirting with him? That didn't happen every day. After all, he was bully-bait at home. Even though he wasn't a total loner anymore, he and Leo still were kind of the little nerds that big, bulky kids of Mars or Bellona liked picking on (not all kids of Mars, because their praetor and friend Duncan always protected them). So this was quite flattering. Especially since Nico was totally his type. The dark, gloomy bad boy. Nico was about a head taller than Percy, with black curls and the darkest eyes possible. He was extremely pale, but not in a sickly way, more in a glowing way. He wore black leather pants, a ratty shirt with a skull print on the front, a long, black leather coat and equally black boots. Honestly, the only thing missing was a neon-sign claiming SON OF PLUTO. But that would have been too flashy.

"Okay, you take a seat and I'll order!", declared Percy, staring very seriously at Nico. "No running away! I'll track you down again. Now, tell me what I should get you."

"A coke and a sandwich", shrugged Nico and sat down.

His eyes were glued to Percy's backside. Why didn't he run? The stranger had his back turned to Nico, so Nico could easily slip away through the shadows. Next minute and he'd be in Tokyo, eating sushi, or walk over the Chinese wall. Yet here he was, sitting in the café, watching Percy order their food. There was a childish smile on Percy's lips as he returned to Nico. Childish in the way of his innocence, the way only a kid would be happy about something. In an endearingly naive way.

"Here you go", chimed Percy and placed the coke and the plate with a sandwich in front of Nico.

"What... is _that_?", asked Nico skeptical as he looked at Percy's half of the table.

Percy looked totally proud. He had three scoops of deeply-red ice, whipped cream on top of it, decorated with red sprinkles and only red Smarties. There were also about eight half strawberries.

"Raspberry-ice with strawberries", replied Percy and dug in.

"Okay, but... it seems unnaturally... red", pointed Nico out, raising one eyebrow.

"It's my thing", shrugged Percy with a small frown. "I like red food. Or, well, red in general."

"Then why does your skull-ring have sapphire-eyes and not ruby-eyes?", asked Nico.

"Dunno", shrugged Percy and frowned as he looked down at his sword's mist-form. "It wasn't always mine. I mean, it's a family heirloom. I guess the one it had been made for liked blue?"

"Family heirloom, mh?", whispered Nico, sounding sad. "Must be nice to have such a thing..."

"I'm sorry. I guess... family is something difficult for you", said Percy softly.

Nico's head snapped up. That Percy had understood he wasn't talking about the heirloom, but the family. And the way Percy said it, it sounded so sincere and compassionate.

"What do you want from me?", asked Nico sharply as he bit into his sandwich.

"I want to help you", replied Percy with a small smile. "What do you know about your father? Your powers? I'm sure you're aware of them. Did you ever wonder about the monsters?"

"Okay. I'm listening", nodded Nico slowly, staring at Percy intrigued.

"What's your theory?", inquired Percy curiously. "I mean, you've been on the run for years. You must have found your own way of figuring out why things are the way they are. I guess it's easier to explain if I know what kind of misunderstandings I have to clarify."

"I'm a mutant. Or alien. One of those two. Currently leaning toward alien. That's why I don't know my father, because my mother had been abducted by aliens", answered Nico, completely honest. "That's why I have these powers too. Like Clark Kent when he came to Earth and was exposed to our sun. I'm guessing those monsters, well, only I can see them because I'm like them – an alien. And the guys hunting me must be special agents, maybe something like the MIB. Other theory; mutants. They're... failed experiments, I was a success. Those people hunting me are from whatever lab I had been created in and want to bring me back there."

He was being serious. The only ways he could explain his life. But he had never really voiced them out loud. He had already spend his fair share of time in asylums – always ran through the shadows as soon as he managed to wear off the drugs they gave him. Of course they'd think he was crazy when saying things like those. But somehow here, with Percy, he didn't feel crazy. The way Percy was listening to him, it was as though he believed him. Maybe not that it was true, but that it was what Nico thought was true. And Nico started to _really_ like that smile.

"Cool", grinned Percy and tilted his head. "So, you read a lot of comics, then?"

"It's how I learned English, when I was first staying in New York", nodded Nico, leaning back some and looking at Percy. "I taught myself, with comics. Now... Can you... really tell me the truth? About my father? My heritage? Are you... part of it? Are you like me?"

"Bad news first", said Percy in mock-seriousness, a grin shining through. "I'm not with the X-Men and I didn't come to recruit you. So, no mutants. You're also not the result of an alien-abduction, though I _really_ like that theory. Never heard it before. And yet the truth is no less crazy."

"Tell me. I thought for the last five years that I'm an alien, I think I can handle the truth."

"Point taken", nodded Percy, eyes sparkling with amusement. "You're a demigod."

"Demigod? Like, half god?", asked Nico slowly. "Well, beats being half alien, I guess..."

"I guess", laughed Percy. "The godly half is Roman. You know about Greek and Roman gods?"

"Zeus and his pals?", asked Nico and nodded. "Sure. And then came the Romans and played name-adaption with them. I'm Russian, I'm familiar with other countries adapting names."

"Jupiter and his pals", nodded Percy, tilting his head. "They're real. They exist. And they sire kids. Don't ask about the Big Guy Religions, you know those Christian-Muslim-Jewish-religions. Never really understood how that incorporates with the gods being real, but it apparently somehow does."

"Okay. Gods are real. And I'm half god", whispered Nico amazed. "So... that's why I never met my father or anyone from his side of the family, because they're gods?"

"Exactly", confirmed Percy. "And the gods live on Olympus. They don't raise their demigodly children themselves. They leave that to the mortal half of the family. You doing okay so far?"

"Well, I thought I'm half-alien, so yeah, so far I'm doing great", grunted Nico seriously. "Tell me more. Who's my father? And... don't the gods care at all? I mean, my mortal family has been gone for years. Don't the gods at least try to make sure their kids are safe...?"

"One at a time!", interrupted Percy and held up his hands in defense. "Your dad's Pluto, the-"

"God of death", finished Nico, eyes wide as saucers. "That's why I can hear voices, see ghosts, raise zombies. Wow. Okay, that is _definitely_ better than being an alien."

"Good", grinned Percy amused. "To answer your other question, demigods are... protected. Or can be. There are cities where we live in safety with out own kind. Child protective services that track down orphaned demigods and bring them to those cities so they can live a better and safe life. But you with your shadow-traveling slipped away from those agents time and time again."

"Oh. So my... Men in Black chasing me were real after all, but not because they wanted to lock me away...", concluded Nico stunned, staring at Percy. "Okay, wait. What exactly are you then?"

"Well, the agents I just mentioned, they thought you may open up to someone your own age, that me and my friends may have a better chance at explaining things to you before you run again. Apparently, they were right. I'm not a demigod. I'm a legacy – like, my mom is a demigod and there are various other demigods further up my family tree too. So I have powers passed down through blood and generations, but I'm not a direct kid of a god like you are."

"Whose... powers do you have, then?", asked Nico intrigued.

"Poseidon, on my father's side, and a little bit of Venus from my mom – they like to attribute my looks to being a legacy of Venus, but the only thing I see that I may have from her is my ability to charmspeak. That is, to manipulate people into doing what I want", replied Percy with a smile. "You see, I'm only possible because of those cities. They're a safe place, there are schools and shops and restaurants and everyone there is either a demigod or a legacy, so you don't need to hide your powers and what you see, because they all can see the monsters too, unlike the mortals. That's what we call the normal people who aren't related to the gods. They can't see the monsters."

"So, you're telling me there are others like me, there's a safe haven for people like us...", drawled Nico skeptically. "That sounds a little bit too good to be true."

"I know", sighed Percy. "I figured you'd say that. I mean, I guess life hasn't dealt you the best cards so far, so I doubt you'd take all of this to be... real. But it is! I promise. Look, if I were a monster in disguise, like you probably already encountered too, wouldn't I have eaten you already? Please. Please, give me a chance to show you that there _is_ a place where you belong, where you can be safe. No more running, no more hiding, no more living on the streets. Just give me a chance. Come with me and take a look. If you don't like it, you can still just... run."

Nico frowned annoyed, glaring at the cute boy. It was downright impossible to say no to that face and that really annoyed the Russian. And deep down, he had hoped for such a thing for so long. For the X-Men to invite him to Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters. For a police box to come down to Earth and take him back home. For _something_. Someone to search for him, to want him around. Had he finally found that? Was Percy the one who had come to end his solitude?

But before he could answer, he saw the beast he had encountered yesterday. A giant bull with rotating horns. It caused enough of a commotion to interrupt their conversation. The monster was chasing two teenagers – a busty, strawberry-blonde girl and an impish boy. Percy yelped.

"W—What?", asked Nico confused, turning to look at Percy a little startled.

"That's my sister! And my best friend!", exclaimed Percy and stumbled out of the café. "Come!"

Nico frowned. Yet again, there was the perfect chance to slip away. And just like the last time, he found himself obeying the green-eyed beauty and following him out of the establishment. He made a mental note not to start anything with this boy, because Nico liked to hold all the strings, but Percy already had him wrapped around his little finger. Nico could clearly picture himself carrying out the trash, doing the laundry, making Percy breakfast in bed, all to get that incredibly adorable smile in return. He'd be whipped in that relationship. And yet – what frightened him the most – he still wanted it. Wanted it more than he had wanted anything in far too long. Something about being with Percy felt like being home – a feeling that was so faint in Nico's memories, he had nearly forgotten what it felt like. Like this was where he belonged, with Percy.

"Annie! Leo!", called Percy out and twisted the ring around his finger.

"PJ?!", exclaimed Leo and Annalene as they whirled around.

Nico all the while kept to the sidelines and observed. Somehow, Percy's ring had transformed into a black sword. The one bull was joined by more, probably its herd. But that didn't make Percy nervous at all. If anything, it seemed to make him more precise. Nico was mildly aware of the other two also fighting against bulls, but his attention was on Percy. The boy, as hyperactive and jumpy as he may have seemed earlier, was completely focused now. Precise. Like a tiger zooming in on its prey, completely set on making the kill. And as elegant and graceful as one too. A shudder went down Nico's spine as he watched Percy wield his sword and slash away at his opponents, slicing bull by bull. It was easily the hottest and most amazing thing Nico had ever seen.

"You're mesmerizing, tigryonak", whispered Nico in awe as the last bull turned to dust.

"Tig... tig... what?", asked Percy confused and suspicious. "Is that an insult?"

"It means 'little tiger'", replied Nico, quirking his lips in amusement. "You fight like a tiger."

"Oh", nodded Percy and flushed a little. "Well, you look like a panther, lurking on the tree-tops and just observing everything. Also, all in black, you know?"

"Yeah, little lion cub over here and I'd suggest we move this zoo somewhere else because there's the policia coming for us thanks to the commotion!", interrupted Leo loudly. "Also, who is that?"

"Oh, yeah. That's Nico, by the way", grinned Percy as the four teens started running.

"Nico? As in Nicolay? As in the guy we've been searching for for like over a week?", asked Leo.

"Guilty as charged", nodded Nico with a frown. "Are you demigods too?"

"Leo's a son of Mercury and Annalene is my sister – legacy of Venus", replied Percy. "Move!"

"Where to?", inquired Nico confused.

"I parked Festus somewhere around... ah! There he is!", exclaimed Leo.

They rounded a corner into a back-yard and Nico came to such a sudden halt, Percy running into his back. Not that Nico minded, because he was too busy staring wide-eyed at the gray, winged horse and the giant metal dragon. This day qualified as the weirdest day in his life.

"What are... those...? What...", asked Nico slowly, pointing at them.

And then he jumped because Percy whistled very loudly and right next to his ear. When Nico turned to glare at him, Percy had the decency to look sheepish. Apparently, doing things before thinking about them was his thing. It would be easier if Percy wouldn't look so irresistible and adorable when being sorry. Wow, he was a complete goner.

"That's Tsunami, my trusted pegasus", smiled Annalene and patted the gray mare.

" _With an unreliable brother, she needs someone reliable_ ", replied Tsunami, leaning into the patting.

"Stop always being mean to me", huffed Percy with a pout.

"Why was she mean?", asked Nico confused. "She just introduced her winged horse."

"No, not Annalene. Tsunami", corrected Percy and rolled his eyes.

"...The horse?", asked Nico, looking at Percy like he lost his mind.

"Legacy of Poseidon. HeÄs the god and father of horses. I speak horse", answered Percy shortly.

"Impressive, also a little weird", nodded Nico slowly. "Like a Golden Age Disney Princess?"

"Oh. You're a fan of the classics!", exclaimed Percy with sparkling eyes.

The Golden Age was what the 2D animation movies were generally called, while the Silver Age covered the 3D period that followed. Generally speaking, they were currently in the Bronze Age.

"Some movies are timeless", replied Nico with a shrug.

"Right. Because movies that are like a hundred and fifty years old are so cool", snorted Leo.

"For your information, movies are art. And if you still have fun looking at the Mona Lisa, why should you not enjoy _Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs_?", countered Percy.

"You did not just compare the Mona Lisa to Snow White!", yelped Leo scandalized.

"I so did", challenged Percy, cocking one eyebrow.

"Enough with the bickering, girls! We should get a move on!", interrupted Annalene annoyed.

"Yes, I agree with Anna...bell?", asked Nico with a frown. "Annabeth?"

"Annalene!", exclaimed the strawberry-blonde with a fierce glare.

"Okay, let's move. It's best if Nico sticks with me, I have the most space on Festus", offered Leo.

"Do. Not. Call. Me. Nico", spat Nico with a fierce glare. "My name is Nicolay."

"B—But PJ called you that!", yelped Leo a little (lot) intimidated.

"That's different", grunted Nico a little awkwardly.

Because somehow it was. He had never taken nicknames from anyone. People called him Nicolay, at times he went by Colya to be safe. But no one had ever chosen a nickname for him, because he never let anyone close enough to allow them such a thing. Somehow, Percy had just decided that Nicolay was part of his life now and that 'Nicolay' was too complicated and weird a name so he should be called 'Nico'. And somehow, Nico couldn't find it in himself to deny the boy. If Percy would ask him to walk from Italy to Greece, he'd probably do it. Even with someone as annoying as this Leo-character. Something about Percy intrigued Nico, made him want to learn more, see more.

"Maybe you should ride with PJ then, Nicolay", stated Annalene unimpressed.

" _But he smells like death, bro!_ ", complained Twister and shuddered, flipping his wings.

"Sh, don't be mean", chided PJ with a glare before turning to Nico. "Come on. It's alright."

Nico disliked the idea _a lot_ and he found it anything but alright. He would be so much faster with his shadow-traveling, but he didn't know the destination and something told him that Percy wouldn't let him out of his sight for a longer period of time because apparently, Percy was set on showing Nico this safe haven place. Percy and Annalene climbed onto their respective pegasi. Nico hated the idea of flying. He didn't feel comfortable in the air. But then Percy turned to look at him with those sparkling, sea-green eyes and that charming smile on his kissable lips and Nico found himself climbing onto the bewinged beast. Wrapping his arms around Percy's waist, he pressed himself against the smaller boy's back, chin resting on top of Percy's head. His hands rested on what felt through the shirt like a nicely defined sixpack. He could hear how Percy's breath hitched at their close proximity and he couldn't fight the smirk at that.

"Bring me to your safe haven", whispered Nico into Percy's ear.

"Leo, take the lead!", called Percy loudly, cheeks heating up.

His heart was pounding in his chest. Nico was unnaturally cold and so nicely firm against his back. The strong arms wound around his waist felt oddly safe and comfortable, as though they belonged just there. He was a little annoyed that the older boy was that much taller than him though.

The things his heart did also started to freak him out. Something about Nico was different from anyone he had ever seen – and he doubted it was just because this was only the second kid of one of the Big Three he had ever met (he had met Thalia Grace, head of the hunters of Artemis, already).

"Tell me more about this place we're going", ordered Nico, his firm voice sending shudders down Percy's spine. "Tell me something that'll make me actually want to stay there."

"I'm there", offered Percy with a broad, cheeky grin.

"One point for that supposedly safe haven then. Anything more?", chuckled Nico amused.

Percy felt himself blushing at Nico's reply yet again. "New Rome – that's the place we're going – is great, really. The Demigod Protective Service, that's the agency responsible for the safety of orphaned demigods, they have those social apartments and kids like you can live there rent-free. You get an own social agent who will regularly check on you. If you're lucky, you may get adopted. Well, you may be a little too old, I guess, I mean, you're nearly seventeen so chances are that you probably get to live rent-free in an apartment until you're done with school and get a job. There are plenty of shops, it's just a regular city, you know. Well, aside from the fact that everyone there has kind of... superpowers and is in the know about gods and monsters."

"Okay... it does sound... interesting", nodded Nico casually, nose buried in Percy's neck. "Tell me about others. Others like us. And those two over there. What kind of demigods are there?"

"Well, we have this... training-camp, you could say, where you learn about your powers and how to fight monsters", replied Percy. "There are two teens in charge. Regina, a daughter of Trivia, and Duncan, a son of Mars. They're really grate. Don't worry, you'll like them when you meet them."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter will introduce Reyna/Regina, Hazel/Duncan and Frank/Frankie! Also, Nico meets Percy's family. And it's already the last chap, since all of this had been supposed to be a oneshot but decided to... grow. xD


	3. Their Reunion

_Chapter 3: Their Reunion_

Flying really wasn't Nico's thing. The only thing good about flying on a pegasus was that he got to talk to Percy and hold the younger boy close. Percy smelt like the ocean and something sweet and Nico really enjoyed that scent. Still, Nico was grateful once they landed.

"Uhm, okay. How do we go about this?", asked Percy as they all dismounted.

"You, bring Nicolay to our place for now. Tell dad about it. I'll go and get our praetors, Leo goes and gets the augur and we regroup at home. They can talk to him there", answered Annalene.

"I love your cool head, sis", grinned Percy and kissed her cheek. "Okay, come on, Nico!"

Nico grunted as the hyperactive boy grabbed his hand and pulled him along. So far, this place really looked like a normal city. The architecture may be a little weird and the fact that pegasi and unicorns just randomly browsed in the park they passed was kind of off to Nico, but other than that, it was normal. Mothers with strollers, fathers playing ball with their sons, kids running through the fields with their dogs. Playgrounds, a library, restaurants, regular houses.

"Okay, so, my dad's a legacy of Poseidon too and my mom is a daughter of Venus", said Percy as they reached the house. "Just as a heads-up. His name is Jamie, her name is Arwen."

Nico nodded stiffly. He didn't often talk to adults. Well, not at all would be a better fit. He was slowly growing nervous, feeling cornered. His fingers linked with Percy's and he squeezed the hand that previously had just been holding onto his wrist and pulling him along. Percy turned to him and smiled a little, the smile radiating encouragement and warmth.

"Don't worry about it", whispered Percy softly. "They're really great. I promise."

Nico nodded stiffly as Percy unlocked the door and led him inside. It was a home. There were photos on the wall – like a pictured version of their lineage. A beautiful brunette woman with blue eyes, holding onto a salt-and-pepper haired man, both smiling into the camera, with a brunette cyclops standing behind them who had his arms around them and a boy who looked exactly like Percy standing in front of them. The boy looked nearly identical to Percy, but the picture and its frame looked incredibly old, so Nico doubted it was actually Percy. It hung next to a picture of the same boy, just as a man, holding onto an olive-skinned man, both surrounded by eight children of various age. The picture was crowded and Nico couldn't possibly imagine being part of such a large family, but they all looked happy. Next to it was a truly old picture. A black-white one, of a beautiful Italian woman with a young girl and an even younger boy. Other pictures followed, showing the eight children older and with their respective own families by then. Nico turned his head to see the other side of the wall. A young man with a mohawk offered him a cheeky grin from one of the photos, a tall, blonde man on one of his sides, a brunette, small man on his other.

"Seji? Are you home already? I thought your classes are until five today!", called a female voice.

"Not Seji!", called Percy back. "Your other son. The adorable one!"

Nico raised one eyebrow and mouthed _Seji?_. Percy grinned a little as he pulled Nico along.

"His actual name is Samuel Elijah James Ignatius. S-E-J-I. Family tradition, first born inherits the name, but it's an awful mouth full. That's why our dad goes by 'Jamie', short for James, our grandma goes by 'Eli', short for Elijah, and great-grandma went by Sam", answered Percy softly.

"Your family has some _weird_ thing with names, Perseus Jackson", pointed Nico out.

"Your dad told me about your quest, how did it go?", interrupted the female voice.

"Great! I brought him here!", exclaimed Percy as they finally entered the kitchen.

"You did?", inquired Percy's mother amused. "Well, then it's good I cooked a lot."

Nico blinked stunned. Beauty did run in the family. Arwen Raser had the same strawberry-blonde curls as her daughter, but she was nearly unnaturally pale, her face and shoulders littered with freckles, eyes a soft hazel-color. Nico had always liked the color hazel. Or just the word, really. He never really knew why, but it had always comforted him in a way.

"Hello, Missus Raser, thank you for having me", greeted Nico and shook her hand. "My name is Nicolay Iliov... apparently I'm a son of Pluto, according to your lovely son."

"Lovely son?", repeated Arwen, her eyes sparkling with mischief. "Why yes, he is lovely. But you can call me Arwen, Nicolay. It's nice having you here. PJ, where is your sister?"

"Oh, she went to get the praetors!", exclaimed Percy with a grin. "And Leo's getting the augur."

/break\

Leo Alduino was maddeningly and hopelessly in love. His problem? He was in love with two people. Those two people happened to be in a happy relationship. They were also two of the most powerful and influential people in Camp Jupiter, so why should they want him?

One of the people he was so hopelessly in love with was the girl he was currently staring at. He didn't want to interrupt their augur during an augury, so he stood back and just observed.

Frankie Yumi was impressive. She was ridiculously tall – over a head taller than Leo. And Asian, Japanese to be more precisely. Her black hair was extremely short, caramel eyes sharp. She was tomboyish, with her maybe an inch long hair, small breasts and boyish clothes. She was a daughter of Apollo, which was how she had become the augur, but first of all, she was the best archer Camp Jupiter had to offer. Frankie was amazing with a bow. Frankie was amazing in general.

"If you stare any more intensely at me, I'll catch fire", stated the Asian without looking at him.

"S—Sorry", yelped Leo and blushed awkwardly.

Frankie turned to look over her shoulder at him, looking nonplussed. "What do you want?"

Leo sighed softly. He knew Frankie didn't think much of him and they hadn't had a good start at first. There was no way the tall Asian would ever go for little Leo. Not to mention that she already had the perfect boyfriend. Seriously, Duncan was such a perfect boyfriend, Leo was gay for him.

Duncan Bishop was a dark-skinned, black-eyed and ambiguous boy. A son of Mars, but less of a brutal fighter and more of a strategist. A thoughtful leader, who always looked out for his people. That mixture of hotness and kindness was intriguing and had first made Leo doubt his sexuality.

"Earth to Leo, stop spacing out!", called Frankie and snapped her fingers in front of him.

He blinked slowly and looked right at Frankie's boobs. Blushing furiously, he hastily tilted his head up to look into her face. Frankie did not look impressed at all, one eyebrow arched in question.

"Sorry", grinned Leo sheepishly. "The Rasers and I returned from our quest. We found the son of Pluto. So, Annalene is getting the praetors and I'm supposed to get you. To the Rasers!"

Frankie raised one eyebrow as she observed Leo. The boy was small, scrawny even, had impish features, was completely hyperactive and had the shortest attention span Frankie had ever seen. She had no idea why any of that should be appealing, yet Leo was the cutest thing she had ever seen.

"To the Rasers it is then", sighed Frank, slowly following Leo.

/break\

Regina Gatti was an exotic goddess. Granted, technically she was a demigoddess, but to Annalene she was a goddess. The Italian girl with the long, dark hair and cold, calculating eyes always send shivers down Annalene's spine when the strawberry-blonde was alone with Regina. Regina had this strict aura, a disciplined personality and Annalene _loved_ it. Her mind was a calm and collected place, so much unlike Annalene's scatterbrained little brother. The two girls often held intellectual conversations, things that Annalene didn't get much at home.

"Did you want something, Annie?", inquired Regina as she spotted the strawberry-blonde.

Regina had been intrigued by Annalene for years now. The first time she had noticed Annalene, and Regina was mildly ashamed to admit that, was when puberty had hit the strawberry-blonde hard. Annalene had enormous breasts and at times, Regina found it hard to look at the other girl's face because it was far too distracting to watch her boobs bounce and jiggle with every step.

"You're making that face again", pointed Annalene out, interrupting Regina.

"What... face?", asked Regina, face neutral as she looked up into Annalene's eyes.

"That face you make when you think about my boobs", replied Annalene amused.

"I wasn't aware that I had a special face reserved to your breasts", denied Regina politely.

"You do. Your pupils blow up in lust and are most of the time fixed on my cleavage, your mouth is open, albeit only a few millimeters to allow the shallowest panting and if I let it go on for long enough, you'd drool a little", answered Annalene, quirking her lips into a smirk.

Regina had the decency to blush. "Your brain is too sharp for a legacy of Venus, but your body surely lives up to your heritage, so I hope that beautiful mind of yours can forgive my dirty one."

Annalene's eyes sparkled with amusement as she walked up to the taller girl, straightening her back in a way that pushed her chest forward some more and while that distracted Regina, Annalene pulled a little at the hem of her shirt, pulling it down to widen her cleavage. Regina gulped as the lace of a pink bra showed. Annalene grinned as she wrapped her arms around Regina's neck.

"As much as I'd enjoy giving you some alone-time with the twins, we need to find Duncan and get back to my place. PJ, Leo and I found the son of Pluto", whispered Annalene seductively.

"I am entirely not motivated to let you go", decided Regina and laid her arms around Annalene's waist. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't keep you and the twins as my hostages."

"As much as I'd love to watch a hot live lesbian porn, I'd rather get that meeting over."

The two girls jumped apart, both blushing furiously as they turned to face Duncan. The dark-skinned boy had an amused grin on his lips. He had always been a polite and charming guy, so they knew his words were more teasing than honest.

"F—Follow me", mumbled Annalene, her cheeks a darker red than her hair.

Regina glared a little at her fellow praetor, who was still smirking. "I was _so_ short of getting at the very least her shirt off. You could have shown enough decency to give me time for one squeeze!"

"You can squeeze your girlfriend's boobs as much as you want later on. Now, we need to sort a new and lost demigod into our society", chided Duncan seriously.

Regina pouted. Duncan smirked. And Annalene was overall just utterly embarrassed. Thankfully enough, Leo managed to take the embarrassment away from her as the trio saw Frankie and Leo. They were walking slow and Frankie looked displeased. Then again, Frankie nearly always looked displeased when she was alone with Leo. As she spotted them, she jogged over to them. The tall girl pulled Duncan into a slow and sensual kiss, one that made Annalene blush from watching.

"Duncan, come", ordered Frankie, pulling him along. "And Regina, discipline your girlfriend!"

"Oh, that is giving me an entirely too specific image", muttered Regina with a far-off look.

"W—Why?!", called Annalene, dragging Regina after them.

"Because you damaged the annoying imp", replied Frankie as they reached Leo. "I remember telling you that you need to show responsibility when you get a quest. Getting Leo hurt is the opposite of that. You. Do. Not. Damage. The. Imp."

The tall Asian loomed over Annalene, glaring down at the smaller girl fiercely. Regina blushed as she felt herself getting aroused again. The butch girl glaring so fiercely at Regina's cute girlfriend was in a weird way quite the turn on. Damn, tonight she'd kidnap Annalene, because whenever Annalene was gone for a few days, Regina's hormones went wild.

"How is it my fault if he can't watch out for himself?!", exclaimed Annalene.

"It's alright! It's just a sprain!", interfered Leo in a pacifying way.

"What is?", inquired Duncan, staring down at Leo.

"I must have hurt my ankle when we ran away from the cops", sighed Leo reluctantly.

"We've been flying for over ten hours and you didn't think to... bring it up?", asked Annalene ridiculed. "We could have paused somewhere! Got it checked!"

"What for?", sighed Leo and waved one hand dismissively. "Nectar and ambrosia were empty, so we would have only wasted time anyway. It's not that bad. I've had worse."

He cowered a little as Duncan loomed over him. With the big guy, Leo was always a little afraid. Not of being hit, albeit with his history with bullies, it was his first reaction to tall boys.

"Dumb imp", sighed Duncan as the dark-skinned boy easily hoisted Leo up bridal-style. "I swear, one day you explode yourself or something like that if you don't get someone to watch out for you."

"Applications for the job will be accepted right here", chimed Annalene teasingly.

/break\

Nico was annoyed as he half-laid on the couch in the Raser-home, Percy attached to his side while Nico tried to fill out the paperwork Percy's dad had handed him. Apparently, Jamie Raser was with that Demigod Protective Service and he'd take in the paperwork to get him an apartment. Nico hated paperwork. At least he had Percy, who was like a curious kitten as he observed everything.

"You can stay with us until everything is done", offered Arwen with a kind smile as she entered the living room with a tray filled with cookies and two hot chocolates. "Here you go, boys."

"Thanks mom, you're the best", grinned Percy and kissed her cheek.

Nico paused and stared at the hot chocolate and the warm cookies. He didn't remember the last time he had such a thing. Percy was munching a cookie happily while Arwen sat down next to Jamie.

"What about your brother?", asked Nico curiously.

"Mh?", grunted Percy, mouth full like he was a (way too adorable) chipmunk.

"I met your parents and sister. What about your brother? Where is he?", asked Nico.

"College", shrugged Percy with a frown, swallowing. "He's kind of a nerd. But I love him anyway."

"You're adorable", snorted Nico and ruffled Percy's hair.

That was the moment the doorbell rang. Jamie grunted and stood to open the door. Nico grew suspicious as the living room filled. There was a tall, dark-skinned boy, carrying Leo, an angry looking Asian girl, Annalene and a dark-haired girl. He inched closer to Percy on instinct. New meant he didn't trust them. But somehow, he found safety with Percy. He had nearly forgotten what that felt like, but now that he remembered, he never wanted to miss it again.

"Nico, those are our leaders, Regina and Duncan. And that's our... uhm... seer, Frankie", introduced Percy with a bright grin. "Guys, this is Nico, but he prefers to be called Nicolay."

"He gets really nasty if anyone aside from PJ calls him Nico", whispered Leo softly.

"Hello, Mister and Missus Raser. Do you have some nectar and ambrosia?", inquired Duncan with a polite smile. "Leo hurt his ankle during the mission at hand. And he hasn't taken care of it yet."

"Oh, honey", sighed Arwen and kissed Leo's forehead. "Would you mind bringing him to the bathroom then, Duncan? And Frankie, help me get everything from the kitchen!"

The four of them left together and Nico found himself interrogated by Regina and Jamie for the time until Duncan and Frankie returned to join the interrogation. It was tiresome, relaying his whole life like that, but Nico was past the point of running. He had been tired of running for so long and Percy felt like home so there was no way he would leave Percy again.

/break\

Even while filling out the paperwork, Nico had still been reluctant about staying here. There was no doubt about staying close to Percy, but the whole settling down notion was still unsettling. But then the others had left again and Percy had showed Nico the bathroom. After showering, he had gotten clothes from Percy's older brother. Arwen had cooked a hot, delicious dinner and Nico had, for the first time in his entire life, attended an actual family dinner. Even when his mother had still been alive, it had been just the two of them. But with Arwen and Jamie, Seji, Annalene and Percy, the bickering between the siblings and fondness of family and the love between the parents, it was overwhelming. Nico realized that he wanted that – that he wanted nothing more than that. A family, a place where he belonged, a _home_. Right now, Nico was sitting on Percy's bed, looking around his all-red bedroom. He was already wearing pajamas and just waiting for Percy. The younger boy was in the bathroom, brushing his teeth (and singing a horribly off tune song, but even that was cute).

"I'm glad you decided to stay", smiled Percy as he entered the bedroom, carrying a sleeping bag.

"It doesn't make much of a difference", shrugged Nico casually, a little embarrassed about the effect Percy had on him. "If this turns out to be a failure, I can still disappear through the shadows. But after all the promises you made about this, I at least want to _test_ this city's safety and opportunities."

"Whatever you say, dark and gloomy", laughed Percy and spread the sleeping bag.

Nico snorted and then he watched how Percy actually laid down on the sleeping bag. "What are you doing there? You're not sleeping on the ground in your own room. I take the sleeping bag."

"You do not. You're a guest", countered Percy sternly.

Nico heaved a sigh at the other boy's stubbornness. "Fine, let's compromise. Share."

"W—What?", asked Percy, cheeks turning a little pink.

"Your bed is large", pointed Nico out and scooted over to lay against the wall. "Come in."

Nico watched in amusement how Percy's face turned darker and darker as the boy slowly sat down on the bed next to Nico with some distance. Nico sighed softly, relieved, as he laid down more comfortably on the bed. It felt like heaven. Last night, he had slept in the streets.

"Nico?", whispered Percy after turning the lights off.

"Mh?", grunted Nico, turning to face Percy.

"Good night", whispered the legacy of Poseidon softly.

"Good night", chuckled Nico nearly fondly.

"Nico?", whispered Percy again after Nico closed his eyes.

"Mh?", grunted Nico again, opening his eyes to look at Percy in the dark.

"Don't run away again", requested Percy in a soft, pleading voice.

"...Good night, tigryonak", whispered Nico lowly.

"Night, panther", whispered Percy with the smallest smile.

/break\

"What do you think about them?", was whispered in the room next door.

"They're soft and comfortable and beautiful", was the content reply.

Annalene blinked in slow-motion. "Not my boobs. My idiot brother and the new kid."

"Oh", grunted Regina, snuggling up to her girlfriend's chest. "I don't know. I mean, this Nicolay seems like a strong demigod. I could feel the dark magic pulsing around him. He's powerful."

There was a reason why a daughter of Trivia was the praetor. Not just Regina's sharp mind, but also her magical powers. Annalene smiled a little as she ran her fingers through Regina's hair.

"Not what I asked. I asked about him _and_ my brother", corrected Annalene.

"During the whole afternoon, they gravitated toward each other", whispered Regina, placing feather-light kisses on the tender mounts of flesh in front of her. "Even when one left the room, he'd instantly find his way back to the other after reentering. Why do you ask?"

"Because I'm a legacy of Venus and I have been feeling it the whole day. There is... something between them", answered Annalene concerned. "Something... romantic."

"Well, you see that every day", shrugged Regina with a frown. "You _are_ a legacy of Venus. You sense emotions, desires and bonds. Nothing new there. Oh. It's because it's your idiot brother. Emphasis on the 'your' and not the 'idiot' this time around, because you _care_. You worry."

"I do not admit to such silly notions", huffed Annalene embarrassed. "It's not about me caring for my silly, little brother. It's about the bond between them. It's not... not like others. It feels old. Older than it should. And that's unsettling me. I can't explain it..."

"And you hate things you can't explain, I know", chuckled Regina and leaned up to kiss her.

"Girls! Settle down, please. If your girlfriend decides to sneak into the house at night, you should try with not talking the whole time!", interrupted Jamie as he stuck his head into the room.

"Sorry, Mister Raser", mumbled Regina awkwardly and blushed, sitting up.

"Oh, you stay the night", sighed Jamie and shook his head. "It's two in the morning, you're not walking through the city that late at night on your own, Regina. Just... tune it down, girls."

"Thanks, dad! Good night, dad", chimed Annalene with a bright smile.

Jamie rolled his eyes amused as he left the bedroom again. Annalene was his little princess, he just couldn't deny her. Walking down the hall, he slowly opened the door to PJ's room. A surprised look passed over his face when he found his son cuddled up to Nico. The son of the underworld had one arm loosely laying around Percy in a possessive manner and yet it also looked casual, natural, both deep asleep. Shaking his head, Jamie closed the door again. The last room he checked was Seji's.

"You need a girlfriend", declared Jamie amused as he found his oldest one sitting hunched over his tablet. "Or a boyfriend. But something else aside from homework to occupy your mind."

"Copy that, father", grunted Seji unimpressed. "Good night to you too."

Chuckling to himself, Jamie closed the door again and headed to his own bedroom, where his beautiful wife was already laying in the bed, reading a book. Smiling softly, he joined her.

"The kids are all still awake, aren't they?", asked Arwen amused as she kissed her husband.

"PJ is deep asleep, cuddling with Nicolay", replied Jamie, offering her a protective-dad-look.

"You'll see a lot more of that", whispered Arwen cryptically.

"What's that supposed to mean?", inquired Jamie rather displeased.

The daughter of Venus smiled as she kissed her husband again. "It's their fate. Their fate set in a past life. I can feel it, I saw it the moment the boys entered the kitchen."

"What? Like a red threat tying their pinkies together?", snorted Jamie ridiculed.

"Every heart has its own glow, a pulsing aura of sorts. When they entered together, theirs were... pulsing in the same rhythm", explained Arwen with a fond smile. "But... their bond is older than they are. Centuries old, even. Soulmates are... rare. But once they find each other, they will always find each other again in their next lives. And their bond is... deep. They know when things are meant to be, deep down the soul is hard-wired for certain events in life to repeat."

"Like... meeting the love of your life?", inquired Jamie slowly.

"They found each other two times already", confirmed Arwen with a smile. "I can see that in the tightness of their bond. When a hero lives a good life, they can reach Elysium, or try again. Three times in a row and they can achieve the island of the blessed. This is their third turn."

"Okay, so if they found each other two lives in a row and this is the third, that means my 'scary dad' routine won't even have any effect at all, right?", sighed Jamie with a pout.

"I highly doubt it", laughed Arwen amused. "Let's sleep now."

/break\

Nico had gotten used to the Raser family over the past week of staying with them and somehow, he didn't want to leave at all. He had had made friends – PJ, Annalene, Regina, Leo, Duncan and Frankie. There was some rather weird love-triangle going on between the latter three, Nico had caught on with that. Regina and Annalene were a _very_ touchy-feely couple which would have given him a problem if he wasn't completely and utterly gay. Duncan was great, somehow the dark-skinned boy felt like the younger brother Nico never had. The two spend a lot of time playing street ball, Duncan showing Nico around. Annalene had vouched for Nico and he was now officially a member of the Fifth Cohort, albeit still a probatio – and he did not even care to remember those silly Latin words and ranks. But it meant that once summer rolled around, he would still get to stay with Percy. So that was okay. Next to his new bro Duncan, Regina was his favorite (not counting Percy, because Percy was, well, _Percy_ ). The witty, yet still compassionate, powerful and level-headed girl had already become the best friend Nico had never dared to make before. He enjoyed her company.

"Nicolay, I would like to have a word with you", announced Jamie as he entered the bedroom.

Percy, Nico, Regina, Annalene, Leo, Duncan and Frankie were sitting together in a circle, playing some kind of card-game. All seven looked up at him surprised, but Nico obediently stood and followed him out and toward the study. Nico grew unsettled. He still wasn't comfortable alone with adults and he was half afraid that Jamie or Arwen would throw him out on the streets again.

"What can I do for you?", asked the teenager stiffly.

"I apologize for how long it took, but an apartment got free for you", answered Jamie, but he still looked thoughtful. "Which means you _could_ move to your own place... if you want."

"I'm sorry, I'm not sure what other option there is?", asked Nico confused.

"Arwen and I, we talked about it...", drawled Jamie, pacing his office. "You've been a nice addition to this household over the past days. And Arwen, well, she's a daughter of love, all kinds of love. She feels bad for the fact that you haven't had the love of a family for too long. We'd... like for you to stay here, permanently. _Not_ in PJ's room. We'd clear this study out and set it up for you. If you want to stay. Because even though I understand Arwen's concerns, I also understand that you have been a loner for a long time and I don't want you to feel... caged here."

"I'd love to stay", blurted Nico out, looking at Jamie wide-eyed and nearly hopeful.

"There's one condition to this though", warned Jamie, causing Nico to stiffen again. "Talk to my son. Honestly, please. Because I want things between you cleared before you move in permanently. I don't need to be a child of Venus to see the will-they-won't-they that you have going on. I don't need that to break PJ's heart. You either tell him you're only friends and move in here on a clean slate, or you tell him how you feel and move in here as his boyfriend. That's up to you."

/break\

Percy all the while sucked at sitting still and waiting, so he excused himself from the game too. Instead of eavesdropping, he did the easier thing. He went to his mother to talk to her. Arwen smiled amused as her son started pacing the kitchen and looking at her curiously.

"What's dad talking to Nico about?", asked Percy after a moment.

"There's an apartment free for him", replied Arwen, observing how her son's face fell. "And Jamie is offering Nicolay to stay here. If he wants to. Because I think that boy doesn't need an apartment. What that boy needs is a home. Someone to care for him."

The color on Percy's face changed to a deeper, darker red. "I—I don't know if that's a good idea, mom. I mean, I... I... I kinda like him _a lot_. I don't know if I'll be able to live with him permanently and still just... stay friends with him and I wouldn't want to be the reason dad kicks him out."

"Your father says it would be alright for your... boyfriend to live here", interrupted another voice.

Percy's eyes widened to a ridiculous size as he whirled around to face a smirking Nico and a wounded-looking Jamie. "Thanks for the word of confidence, son. I am deeply hurt."

"Why don't you two talk things out together?", offered Arwen with a smile and left.

Percy stared doe-eyed at Nico as the two of them were all alone in the kitchen all of a sudden. Nico took a deep breath and approached the younger boy, until Percy was backed into a corner.

"What did you just mean?", asked Percy a little nervously.

"I think you're the only one unaware of the looks I give you", whispered Nico as he reached out to caress Percy's cheek. "Your father doesn't want you to get hurt by bottled up emotions and awkwardness. He wants for us to clear this matter first before I can move in. Either we stay just friends, which would make me happy too, or... I could just kiss you right now."

"Kiss me? B—Because you... like me?", asked Percy nervously.

"Because I may feel more than 'like' for you, tigryonak", whispered Nico and leaned in.

Percy felt like melting as Nico's lips moved against his. It took a while for Percy to actually lift his arms to lay them around Nico's shoulders and pull the taller boy down and deeper in.

/break\

Two weeks later and the very last of Nico's new belongings was put exactly where he wanted it in his new room, in his new home. The most important thing however was Nico's new boyfriend laying on the bed, watching him with amusement dancing in his sea-green, beautiful eyes.

"I think it was fate that you ran", declared Percy thoughtful.

"Mh?", grunted Nico confused as he took a look around his black room.

"That you ran from the other agents, that they'd send a quest of demigods to find you. That I would find you", answered Percy softly. "That you would end up right here, with me."

As Nico sat down on the bed, Percy sat up so he could crawl over to straddle Nico's lap. Nico grunted pleased. Jamie didn't allow the two of them to be alone in a bedroom with the door closed, but still, Nico got to live with Percy – and the whole amazing family. That was all that mattered.

"Maybe you're right", said Nico in feign surprise, leaning up enough to kiss Percy.

"Don't say it like that. It's not _that_ unusual that I'm right!", protested Percy with a pout. "I'm not as dumb as I look! How dumb _do_ I look anyway that everyone always assumes I'm an idiot?"

"Not an idiot, tigryonak", whispered Nico and started trailing kisses down Percy's neck. "But you know how they say that the pretty ones are dense and with just how pretty you are..."

"You're the only person I know who manages to wrap an insult into a compliment", whispered Percy back as he stretched his neck for better access. "I _really_ like you a lot."

"I really like you a lot too", chuckled Nico amused, flipping them over.

Percy came to lay beneath Nico, sprawled out on the bed like prey in front of its hunter, but the sparkle in Percy's sea-green eyes told Nico that the legacy of Poseidon was pretty content right where he was. Cupping one of Percy's cheeks he slowly leaned in until only a breath separated them. And for the first time in years, Nico smiled in pure joy and happiness as he kissed Percy.

/break\

Not all souls were made in pairs. Some just casually fit together and humans defined it as love. Only rarely did true soulmates exist – when Hades formed two souls to belong together. Those souls would always find each other, in any life. Nothing could keep them apart. Some things in their lives would always run parallel because they were still the same souls, leading one life together.

When Bianca Maria's mother had whispered with his last breath that he would get to see his Ghost King again, Bia had known it to be true because as a legacy of Hades, she had always seen that their souls belonged together. She knew they would be reborn and they would find each other again.

So when in the summer of 2109, on her mother's birthday, the huntresses were invited to celebrate the hundredth anniversary of the end of the Titan War, Bianca Maria was only mildly surprised to see the souls of her parents sitting together, laughing and holding hands. The bonfire was held in New Rome this year and the Romans had outdone themselves. It was amazing.

"Tell me about the new kid", requested Bianca Maria as she sat down with the praetor.

Regina looked mildly annoyed that the head-huntress was disturbing her time with Annalene, but knowing that somewhere up the family-tree, Bianca Maria was related to Annalene, Regina put her polite impress-the-in-laws-face on. Annalene grinned, burying her face in Regina's neck.

"That's PJ's boyfriend", replied Annalene, tilting her head. "He's living with us. And he's causing PJ to walk around with that ridiculously happy glow. Never seen him like that before."

"His name is Nicolay Iliov, he's a son of Pluto. Annie, Leo and PJ brought him to camp last month", explained Regina some further. "But if you want to know more, you should talk to him yourself."

Bianca Maria's eyes shone with a hidden sadness as she watched how happy PJ and Nicolay were. She regretted not knowing PJ and Annalene better, but by now she had buried nearly all her siblings and deep down, she knew that if she got too attached to their off-springs, it would break her at one point to watch generation for generation fade away. It would be too much pain. But at the same time she couldn't help but think that PJ, Annalene and Seji were the last she had of her Donny, her first little brother. Even though she told herself she didn't want to get involved, she still watched, observed silently and suffered all the same whenever a descendant of her siblings died.

"Look, that's BM, she's a legacy of Hades, which means she has the same powers as you, more or less!", interrupted an excited and soft voice. "Hello, BM! That's my boyfriend, Nico."

"Nicolay", corrected a dark voice with a heavy Russian accent.

Bianca Maria blinked slowly as she looked up straight into those sea-green eyes – the exact same as her mother's, so similar to her brother Donny's – and the smiling face of Perseus Jackson Raser, the mirror-image of his past life. She smiled faintly, nearly pained. And then she turned to face the newbie. His skin was a nearly glowing white, eyes sharp and dark – darker than she remembered her father's eyes to be, but with the same level of love and devotion as he looked at Percy.

"Good for you, PJ", said Bianca Maria, offering him a smile.

"Come on now, I owe Duncan a one-on-one", requested Nicolay, not paying her any mind.

"Right. And Leo will whine if I deny him the chance to ogle sweaty Duncan in shorts", laughed Percy with a grin, turning to wave at Bianca Maria. "Well, it was nice to see you again. Bye!"

"Oh please, _you_ just want to ogle Nicolay sweating in shorts!", teased Annalene, rolling her eyes.

"Yes... it really was nice to see you again", whispered Bianca Maria to herself.

Her black eyes followed Percy and Nico as they ran off, laughing and joking with each other as they headed over to the streetball court around the corner. The bonfire was held in the park, after all. There were families having picknicks, children swimming in the lake, some were playing games. A tall, dark-skinned boy was waiting at the streetball court, one Bianca Maria recognized as her aunt Hazel's rebirth Duncan, with Frankie and Leo sitting at the sidelines, talking softly. When Nico and Percy reached them, Nico and Duncan bumped fists and gave each other a bro-hug while Percy sat down next to Leo, joining the conversation between Leo and Frankie. The three sitting at the sidelines whistled playfully as Duncan and Nico shed their sweatshirts and started a game one-on-one. Bianca Maria's smile lit up more as she watched the way Duncan and Nico got along while Percy watched, with that tender expression in his sea-green eyes that she remembered too well.

Percy and Nico had found each other again. And like finding each other, there were some things that would never change. Even during their third round on Earth, they would fall in love again, they would also get married and they would have nine children before living together to the end of their shared lives. Bianca Maria knew that through hardships, happiness would await them.

Perseus had found Andromeda and they had lived their life together.

Perseus Jackson had found Nico di Angelo and they had lived their life together.

Now Perseus Jackson Raser had found Nicolay Iliov and they would live their life together.

And even after this life, in a hundred years and a thousand years, on the island of the blessed, they would find each other, fall in love with each other and see eternity unfold. Together.

_~*~ The End ~*~_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this is the end. I hope you enjoyed my hundredth Nicercy fic - and the ninety nine before it and any after it - as much as I did. ;)

**Author's Note:**

> So, I'm writing a rebirth fic. Because this is my hundredth Nicercy fic (only counting those where Nicercy was the main pairing, not those where they were only a side-pairing). So it had to go into my headcanon timeline and it had to be something... else for a change.
> 
> I know I previously already stated how I dislike when the names of characters are changed, but rebirth-fics don't leave much choice, so I tried to stick with close names! Here a short list with an explanation (even though I'm not gonna introduce them all at once to make it easier on you guys anyway);
> 
> Percy Jackson = Perseus Jackson Raser, named after himself since Donny knew he was the rebirth
> 
> Nico di Angelo = Nicolay Iliov, so his name is still Nico (and he still gets an European accent). Iliov means "of the sea"
> 
> Annabeth Chase = Annalene Raser, I hope Annalene is close enough to Annabeth for you guys. Also, she now fits into the Raser-name-scheme of girls' names ending with -lene
> 
> Leo Valdez = Leonardo Alduino, still goes by Leo. But being a son of Mercury fits to him, in my eyes. Alduino means "strong friend"
> 
> Hazel Levesque = Duncan Bishop, Hazel and Duncan both mean brown and Levesque means "bishop". She's praetor now and a son of Mars, because at one point, things had to differ from their last lives
> 
> Frank Zhang = Frankie Yumi, still Frank, but as a girl. Zhang and Yumi both mean "bow", but instead of Chinese, Frank's now Japanese. And a daughter of Apollo, because his archery fits that
> 
> Reyna Avila Ramírez-Arellano = Regina Gatti, Reyna and Regina both mean "queen" (the last name is rather random, but I always picture Reyna with the grace of a cat, so yeah). I made her a daughter of Trivia to get some difference in this life again


End file.
